Author's Note
Hey guys, I know some of you will be annoyed that I've skipped loads of things in this chapter, but be realistic.
For those of you that have read Naruto fanfics for years, it's likely you'll have read hundreds of variations of the the Chunin Exams.
I don't want to rehash what all of us already know happens. We'll start things off where it really starts to diverge from canon.
Anyway, on to something else. I've been reading loads of Game of Thrones fics lately and I'm itching to write one myself.
Would you guys be interested in reading that and do you have any ideas? Please no harems or anything dumb like that and no Daenerys/Jon either.
After that, things were pretty anticlimactic. Sensei went after Sai to check on the rest of the scientists, because the ones in the chamber with us are dead.
They must have had a capsule of poison hidden in a false tooth or something, because not long after we killed that thing, they started frothing at the mouth.
I tried to heal them, but it was too late. When I'd ceased my examinations of their corpses however, I became aware of the scrutiny I was being subjected to.
I looked up and my gaze was immediately caught by green eyes. My pulse quickened. Time to finally get some answers.
" Just who are you and what the hell was going on here? " She's silent for a moment, then she speaks.
" My name is Hanoka. Hanoka Uzumaki. This was a research facility. The scientists here were trying to create the ultimate summoning animal. "
" It was more difficult than they imagined. Half of them had already been killed by that thing, but that didn't deter them in the slightest. "
" It only made them more excited. My abilities came in handy for them. I could restrain it, if barely. Before you ask, no, I don't know who they were working for or why. They never said. "
I look away from her and at Yakumo, who's frowning. When she notices me looking she shrugs her shoulders. I sigh slightly.
Motioning towards the girls, they slowly start exiting the cavern. We head in the direction that sensei and Sai went to, but it isn't necessary. They start descending the stairs just as we reach the base of it.
Judging by the annoyed stare on Anko sensei's face, the scientists up there pulled the same trick as ours did.
As we head towards the entrance, I fill sensei into what we learnt. She looks startled as I mention the girl's name, but she takes it in stride. I also see a flicker of something on Sai's face.
Likely imagining that Danzo will find all of this interesting. I file that thought away for later, because we still have things to do.
Sensei asks Sai to make a few of his ink birds to carry us and he agrees. Once they're formed, the four of us kids each climb on one, Anko's remains hovering.
Then she goes through a long string on handsigns and stomps her foot on the ground. A few moments later, the ground starts to shake. She leaps up onto her ink bird and we fly towards the forest.
I'm looking back at the mountain though, where cracks are starting to form on the side. Soon, a rockslide forms and seals the entrance away.
The shaking doesn't stop though. As we reach the canopy of the trees, I see why. With a boom, the top of the volcano spews lava into the air.
We all have dismounted by this point, so we all watch the volcano erupting. Sensei orders us back in the direction of the ship then.
We run for hours then, always on the lookout. We don't want to be caught off guard by a river of lava after all. We only stop once, to take a short break, eat and relieve ourselves. Then we start running again.
It's already nightfall by the time we reach the ship. None of the crew are asleep however. I can imagine that they're all scared.
They flinch as we leap from the trees onto the beach, but then they relax as they make out our features. The captain comes forward and then he speaks with sensei.
As the rest of my team and Hanoka head towards the ship, I go through a couple of handsigns. Earth Style Earth Wall. I change the jutsu slightly as a focus my chakra.
Instead of a straight wall of earth, a circular wall rises and encircles the area around us. A hundred square feet. I can hear the crew exclaiming, but I ignore it.
When I turn around, sensei nods at me in approval. I head towards the others then.
Sensei tells us that the damage to the ship wasn't as severe as the captain first thought and that they were able to complete the repairs that they needed to make.
That means that we can set out tomorrow morning and continue on with our mission. Personally, I don't hold out much hope for finding the stolen goods, but I say nothing.
I don't even think that the Hokage would care that the mission was a failure. Not with us bringing Hanoka with us.
Another Uzumaki to add to the Hidden Leaf. One that can use their famed Adamantine Chains. Not that everything will go smoothly though.
Unlike Naruto, she actually looks the part. That will put her in incredible danger from a number of sources. Not all of those dangers will come from outside the village either.
That night, as I'm taking watch while everyone else is sleeping, I write out everything that happened on this mission and summon Katsuyu to take this information to my mother.
I need to protect this girl. As a Senju, I have the greatest claim towards offering her protection in the village. Naruto and her are distantly related and bear the same name, but he wouldn't be able to help her.
His apartment is too small for two people. What's more, he's a moron. He doesn't have a shred of political acumen or knowledge of the laws needed to help her.
Then there's the fact that the Hokage's Advisors don't necessarily see him as a person either. Only an asset. His word will count for nothing with the Council.
That leaves it all up to me. I'm only a Clan Heir though. My mother is the Head. That's one of the main reasons that she has to know before anyone else.
I've kept my senses peeled, but Sai hasn't sent any messages to Danzo. Likely because of the distance. Too much chance of it going astray.
He'll wait until we enter the Land of Fire. I hope Danzo doesn't try anything stupid though. Like ambushing us on the way home. It would be something he'd do. Atleast according to what my mother has said of him.
The next morning, after a quick breakfast, everyone but me boards the ship and I shatter the barrier around the ship. Then I use an earth jutsu to move the ship from the beach into the water.
I leap onto the ship then and use a water jutsu to push the ship into deeper water. As I do so, the sails are unfurled and we take a final look at the island.
A mile away from where we were, a stream of lava slowly flows into the ocean. We were lucky in a number of respects.
That goes doubly so for the crew of the ship, who would have died many times over if none of us had been with them on this journey.
Sai and I stay above decks as the females go to the cabin assigned to us. I watch the crew do their thing and Sai sits down to draw.
That ends up being our morning routine for the next two days, when our routine is broken by a stroke of unbelievable luck.
We're attacked by a pirate ship that's twice the size of ours. A ship that fits the description that the merchants gave. I turn my head away from Anko sensei's gleeful expression and roll my eyes.
Predictably, the fight that ensues is incredibly one sided. A hundred civilians against four shinobi, one of which is Jounin goes exactly as one would expect.
We kill all the pirates, search their ship, find the stolen items, seal them in scrolls and then we abandon the pirate ship. A ship that's riddled with explosive notes.
A minute after we've left the ship and boarded our own, sailing away, the pirate vessel explodes.
None of the debris hits us though, because the explosive notes were planted in the hull of the ship.
After that bit of excitement, nothing unusual happens on our journey home. Nothing except almost no wind for the next day or so.
A week later, we're finally home. As we make our way towards the Hokage Tower, many villagers stop and stare.
Stare at Hanoka that is. Many of the older shinobi and villagers look twice and some gape slightly as they see her.
When we enter the Hokage's office, the pure surprise on his face is a surprise in and of itself. I turn towards sensei, eyebrow raised and she looks sheepish.
I sigh softly. Why am I not surprised. Is have thought that sensei would send word that we're bringing an Uzumaki with us, but sensei decided on a dramatic reveal instead. Which is exactly something that she would do.
I look at the Hokage's face as sensei debriefs him on our mission. He's gotten control of himself now though and his face gives nothing away, nor does his chakra.
After about half an hour, sensei finally stops talking and the Hokage as looking at us, or rather at Hanoka.
That's when I speak. I say everything my mother said I should say and eventually, the Hokage agrees that Hanoka can be a ward of the Senju Clan.
When I offer to extend the same to Naruto, he looks briefly surprised. He does smile though and gives me permission to ask Naruto.
The four of us kids are dismissed and sensei remains with the Hokage. Sai and Yakumo go their own way as we exit the Tower, but Hanoka and I head into the village.
She does need new clothes and stuff. I sigh internally. This is gonna be a long day, I can already feel it.
It's nearly two weeks after that day that the Chunin Exams starts. To my surprise, all the rookie teams have been entered.
I doubt most of them stand even the remotest chance however, not that I say anything, unlike Sai.
The First Stage is ridiculously easy. For my team. A written exam which is actually an information gathering exam.
All three of us pass with minimal effort and now here all the teams are, outside of the fence surrounding the Forest of Death.
As the Proctor, Hayate Gekko goes over the rules, my team trades small smiles. We know the forest like the back of our hands after all.
Plus, if I don't smile, I'll give my feelings away. That Hidden Grass Genin over there is no Genin at all. That immense well of chakra could only belong to a Kage level shinobi.
As we enter through the gates, I send my team on ahead before me. Once I feel them gone, I go through a string of handsigns and summon Katsuyu.
She appears in a puff of smoke. " Lady Katsuyu, inform my mother that our contingency plan is about to occur. "
She asks no questions. A smaller version of her breaks off from the main body and puffs away. I pick her up then and place her in my pocket. Then I make my way to where I feel his chakra. Nobody else would be so bold.